Together our friend and her friend joined many others on Tuesday this week to pay tribute to those who died and those who were injured and to the extraordinary emergency services – at le Bataclan, at the various restaurants that were attacked, and in the area generally.

On Saturday evening oldest son and daughter-out-law were with friends celebrating the friend’s birthday. One of the other guests had lived in Paris for several years and her former flatmate and close friend was among the missing at le Bataclan. We later learned that she too was killed there. 28 years old.

It is important that we go beyond remembering those who have died and are injured, and make sure that we continue to live the life we believe in, including our life in community and culture.

The plan was that, instead of meeting up as normal with our Danish friends in either Denmark or Bath, we would all go to Paris together. So they found a flat to rent to meet everyone’s needs, and we each made our own arrangements to travel there.

We couldn’t have expected that, at the very end of September, the weather would be so glorious and warm. Nor that there would be both a car-free day and a celebration of the city’s public gardens that weekend. And yet that’s exactly how it all came together.

So we ditched the list of exhibitions and museums, and instead spent our time outside. We managed to pack in the Jardin des Plantes (botanical gardens); the Jardins de Bercy across the river; the Place des Vosges; the gardens at the Palais Royal; the Tuileries Gardens; and the Luxembourg Gardens. Plus a lot (an awful lot!) of walking. Miles and miles each day.

Unfortunately we had to give up on one of our favourite parks, the Jardin Plantee (a linear path using a former raised metro line), as the lifts were out of order so the park was inaccessible to us.

The Open Garden’s celebration provided us with small exhibitions and demonstrations, a celebration of how the inner city can provide opportunities for relaxation, contemplation, exercise, food growing, bees, and just enjoyment of the outdoor life.

Here is a flavour of what we saw. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did, and maybe will get the chance to visit yourself some time. Enjoy!

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About deborah @ the magic jug

Now I've passed 60 I'm still doing all sorts of things I haven't done before, as well as carrying on with the things I already love. I live a happy life with my long term love Malcolm. In my blog I explore local and low tech ideas, food, growing, making, reading, thinking, walking, and lots of other words ending in 'ing'.

Lovely pics – we made it to the Jardin du Luxembourg this summer which was our first trip to any Parisian park – really loved it and lots for the kids to do there. So sorry to hear about your friends’ losses in Paris – shows how we are all connected. When we lived in Bath our former vicar’s daughter was among the victims of 9/11; none of us are untouched by these events.

Yes, Luxembourg Gardens is one of our very favourite Paris places, especially on a Sunday, when there always seem to be lots of people sitting around playing chess (at the tables and chairs specially provided), sailing little boats on the pond, and just enjoying being there.

As you say, we’re all so connected and probably more and more so. Though I worry at the lack of coverage and attention given generally in the press when these things happen outside Europe (Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria to name but a few). On the other hand, maybe our experience of it coming so close to home (e.g. London in 2005) helps us empathise more with those who endure these attacks even more frequently.

I love to read your comments. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and I don't mind if you don't. However, I ask you to respect the 'circle time' rules made by my son's primary school teacher: make a comment, ask a question or say something nice. Thank you! Cancel reply

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A gentle reminder that all content on this blog, including my photos, belong to me. If you want to use or reproduce them, you must check with me first. I'll usually say yes, but I have the right to say no.